Amanda Holsted, director of the Grand Prairie Center at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas (PCCUA)-Stuttgart campus, is a new graduate of the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges (AATYC) leadership institute.

Holsted is a 1992 graduate of Stuttgart High School and a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway with a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in speech communications.

Holsted also has a Masters of Art degree in interpersonal and organizational communications from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

"She is a great asset to Phillips Community College Stuttgart and to the Grand Prairie Center," Dr. Susan Luebke, vice chancellor of PCCUA, said.

Luebke said Holsted’s participation in the leadership group will enhance her abilities to serve the college and the community even more and PCCUA is very proud of her accomplishments.

The AATYC colleges, which produces leaders from within, has a vision to identify, prepare and advance leaders from within Arkansas two-year colleges.

Through an experience-based model, participants gain leadership skills and functions of executive leadership in higher education in the areas of academics, finance and student affairs.

Over the course of the institute, the participants heard from over 25 guest speakers, some of which were state and local leaders representing higher education and agencies.

Other sessions covered included greater awareness of self and others resulting in more constructive interaction; setting and attaining goals; improving self-confidence and increasing ability to build self-confidence in others; creating more effective communication climate; and developing observation and feedback skills.

The overall program consisted of three, three-day group meetings at two-year college locations and related organizations in central Arkansas.

A total of 24 participants are selected for the leadership institute each year among vice presidents, departmental chairs, deans and directors who are nominated by their president/chancellor.